Towards a poetics of justice: Mystical theology, kenosis, and aporia

Rozenski, Steven Peter (2003) Towards a poetics of justice: Mystical theology, kenosis, and aporia. MTh(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis examines the interaction between mystical theology and social justice, particularly through the tropes of kenosis and aporia. I argue for a poetics of justice modelled on a practice of reading that incorporates both the kenotic and the aporetic. Contemporary literary theory provides a point of intersection for the disparate selection of texts analysed over the course of the essay: through the works of Jacques Derrida, I develop a notion of justice that requires an exegetical openness and interdisciplinarity that focuses on the textuality of mystics, philosophers, and novelists. The first two sections provide a broad overview of the theoretical foundations of the thesis: Derrida's analysis of justice as a fundamentally aporetic concept is used as a point of departure. Section Three offers an analysis of critical terms used in the course of my investigation. Section Four uses the work of Michel de Certeau, Maurice Blanchot, Dorothee Soelle, and S.T. Coleridge in order to investigate the unique linguistic characteristics of mysticism and their relationship to justice. Section Five outlines the ontological characteristics assumed in this investigation and draws primarily on the thought of Jean-Luc Marion. Section Six uses Elaine Scarry's work to analyse the relationship between aesthetics, mysticism, and justice. Section Seven investigates the works of three major figures of Neoplatonic and apophatic mysticism: Pseudo-Dionysius, the Cloud-author, and Meister Eckhart. Section Eight develops the theme of reading justice as evidenced in the work of Simone Weil and J.M. Coetzee.

• Item Type: Thesis (MTh(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Philosophy.
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Theology and Religious Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 2003
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2003-71414
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 10 May 2019 10:49
• Last Modified: 04 Jun 2021 13:37
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/71414